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Along the 113 miles, you will see small signs every mile marking the distance from Key West. Called Mile Markers, many hotels and restaurants along the way bear no other address than MM 99 or MM 88.5. Businesses may also identify themselves with the letters OS for ocean side, or BS, for bay side. Florida's Keys are also often grouped into three divisions—the Upper Keys, Middle Keys and Lower Keys. Starting from the 'top' at the northernmost end of the Upper Keys, Key Largo, here's a look at the Florida Keys.
Key Largo
Largo means long in Spanish and Key Largo lives up to that name as the longest of the keys, stretching from MM 106 to MM 91. On the west of the key is Florida Bay and the backcountry of the Everglades, making this Key a popular spot for canoeing and kayaking trips into mangrove-wilderness waters. On the East is the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream that keeps all of Florida warm as well as sheltering reefs making this key popular for scuba diving, snorkeling, sportfishing, eco-tours and beaches. The island is also home to the Dolphin Cove Research & Education Center's Dolphin Encounter, which offers you an opportunity to swim with dolphins and watch them at work and play. Far and away, the best known attraction of Key Largo is John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park , the nation's first underwater park. Right beside it is the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary and the two diversions together provide some of the nation's most spectacular underwater sights. Islamorada/Long Key
Islamorada got its name from the Spanish, too: when they first saw the island, it looked purple—morada—thanks either to the violet sea snails that live here or the purple bougainvillea that climbs trees and walls in a blaze of color. These two keys, the islands of Plantation, where pineapple plantations once covered the land, Windley Key and Upper and Lower Matecumbe Keys are thus often referred to as "the purple islands." In the waters surrounding these islands live some of the world's most coveted sports fish, leading Islamorada to call itself and the surrounding islands the 'Sport Fishing Capital of the World'. Here you will find a substantial fleet of offshore charter boats and shallow-draft 'backcountry' boats that travel into shallow waters in search of the wily fish that dwell there.
The crystalline waters clear as vodka are also home to a number of wrecks, some discovered, some yet to be discovered, allowing visitors to search for their elusive fortune. Hiking and biking trails run through the islands, too. Islamorada and Long Key and their associated islands stretch from approximately MM 91 to MM 63.
Marathon
About halfway to Key West, railroad tycoon Henry Flagler's crews built living quarters, creating a town that was to become known as Marathon, a reference to the marathon-like qualities of the job they had undertaken. Stretching from about MM 63 to MM 47, Marathon is the heart of the Florida Keys and the heart of the region known as the Middle Keys, encompassing tiny strips of coral with such intriguing names as Conch Key, Duck Key, Grassy Key, the Crawl keys, Key Colony Beach, Key Vaca, Fat Deer Key, Knight's Key and Pigeon Key.
Top among the manmade attractions here is, of course, the Seven Mile Bridge, an engineering wonder that streaks across clear waters spreading out on all sides as you cruise across the cement span of one of the longest segmental bridges in the world. You can still see the remains of its predecessor, the Old Seven Mile Bridge, which took four years to build and is now frequented by fishing fans. Here, your environmental adventures can include a swim with dolphins, an introduction to an iguana, a visit to a hardwood hammock or rain forest, or a loll on sandy beaches. A roar around the azure water on a jet ski or a variety of other watercraft activities are also available, and the fishing is great both on the reefs and flats or in the deep.
Lower Keys
Views that go on forever across diamond-tipped seas and tropical greenery are the pride of the Lower Keys, stretching from MM 40 to MM 5. This is nature's wonderland. You'll find a national wildlife refuge devoted to tiny Key deer, an endangered species, and a national marine sanctuary, Looe Key, rated one of the best diving reefs in the world. You can see this Keys' version of Big Bird—great white herons, North America's largest wading bird—in a 375-square-mile refuge. Kayaks and shallow-draft boats are a favored way to tour. Bahia Honda State Park is so popular that many make camping reservations here a year or more in advance. This state park's beaches have been named one of the top 10 strips of silica in the nation. Campgrounds abound in the Lower Keys where both inshore and offshore fishing, kayaking, bird watching, golfing and beaching are the favored sports. If you'd like to be transported while taking in your sightseeing, check out the Old Town Trolley Tours, which takes you from Mallory Square and other points of interest through Old Town, on an informative, 90-minute guided tour.
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